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2004 Fess Parker's Vineyard Syrah
Fess Parker Vineyard Syrah is chosen from different blocks of the 38 acres of syrah planted. The combination of warm
daytime temperatures and cool evenings resulting from the unique east-west orientation of the Santa Ynez Valley
creates ideal conditions for grape maturation. The Syrah is planted on the upper mesa behind the winery, well above
the valley floor.
This is also the 2nd vintage that contains fruit from the highly anticipated Camp 4 Vineyard, 1,400 acres
purchased in 1999. A 250 acre block has already been planted with mainly Rhone varietals. This vineyard is located
to the southwest of the winery. It contains a sandy loam soil and slightly warmer climate. The newer clones from
this vineyard have helped us to make the best Fess Parker Syrah so far. It's showing more depth and concentration,
while still showing its cooler climate characteristics.
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| Varietals: |
90% Syrah 10% Petite Syrah |
| Appellation: |
Santa Barbara County |
| Alcohol: |
14.6% |
| Comments: |
This perfumed, elegant wine comes from 2 different vineyards owned by Fess Parker in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Seductive aromas and a fine, silky texture are the signatures of these vineyards. The wine is our most "Pinot Noir" like
Syrah exuding red berries, blueberry, complex spice, and mineral. All clusters are hand-sorted, de-stemmed, fermented in ˝
ton open top bins, punched down 5 times per day, then pressed directly into burgundian French oak barrels.
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| Reviews: |
Robert M. Parker, Jr.’s The Wine Advocate: 92 points
Floral, blackberry, blueberry, crushed rock, and lavender notes, superb intensity, beautiful sweetness, full body, and a seamless constitution suggest this stunning Syrah will drink well for 5-7 years.
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Connoisseurs’ Guide: 95 points
We have tasted good wines and bad from this Central Coast site, but this very deep and impeccably made offering ranks with the very best yet. Its deep and inviting mix of smoke, berries and peppery spice is overlain with a lovely veneer of sweet oak, and its concentrated young flavors are rife with incisive ripe-berry fruit. It is the most carefully balanced of the latest lot of outstanding Syrahs from JC Cellars, yet it always exhibits the signature richness and fruity opulence that is found in the winery’s best bottlings. It is an odds-on bet to be the longest lived of a very fine bunch, and should be even better some half-dozen years hence.
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| Expanded Notes: |
 PDF Printable Version |
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